Overall New Mexico Asbestos History
New Mexico has a long history of asbestos usage affecting workers in a wide range of industries. Power plants, pipelines, mines, construction – all these industries, and more, exposed employees to the dangers of asbestos. The most deadly disease contracted was mesothelioma, followed by lung cancer and asbestosis.
Power Plant Industry In New Mexico
From the 1940s to the 1980s, New Mexico power plants provided power to New Mexico and as well as to Texas, California, Arizona, and Utah. Over that time period, many thousands of people working or visiting in these plants may have been exposed to asbestos. The following jobsites have been the subject of asbestos litigation claims concerning asbestos use in the 1950s-1970s:
FOUR CORNERS POWER PLANT
Operator:
Location: Navajo Indian Reservation near the borders of New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah
Construction: 1950s – 1960s
Operation began: 1963
SAN JUAN POWERHOUSE
Operator: Public Service Company of New Mexico
Location: Farmington, New Mexico
Construction: 1950s – 1960s
Operation began: 1973
RIO GRANDE POWER PLANT
Operator: El Paso Electric Company
Location: Sunland Park, New Mexico
Construction: 1929 – 1980s
Coal Mines In New Mexico
While there were many coal mines, two specific mines: the Navajo Coal Mine and San Juan Coal mine, supplied the Four Corners and San Juan power plants with the coal needed to operate the huge, high temperature machinery driving the power plants.
Other Mines In New Mexico
Coal was not the only material mined in New Mexico. There was also zinc, lead, potash, copper, gold, and silver, as well as natural gas. The exposure danger to asbestos was much the same in these mines as in the coal mines. Heavy construction and installation of large equipment that contained, or were insulated with asbestos components, provided the opportunity for inhalation of asbestos fibers.
